Nepal Coordinates Urgent Rescue Effort with Pakistan Following Broad Peak Avalanche
Nepal’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Friday that it is in active coordination with Pakistani authorities to mobilize high-altitude search and rescue operations following a devastating avalanche on Broad Peak in the Karakoram range. The avalanche struck a 10-member international expedition led by renowned Nepali mountaineer Nirmal “Nims Dai” Purja at an elevation of roughly 7,000 meters, severing all direct communication with the team. The missing group includes five Nepali Sherpa guides alongside climbers from the United States, China, Oman, and Pakistan.
Working through its embassy in Islamabad and the Alpine Club of Pakistan, the Nepali government has requested the immediate deployment of all available emergency resources, including military search helicopters. However, severe weather conditions and thick cloud cover in Gilgit-Baltistan have severely restricted aerial missions, forcing ground crews to navigate treacherous, avalanche-prone terrain. While Pakistani rescuers located four bodies near the site on Friday, official identification remains pending as search teams race against time to locate the remaining missing climbers.
